The Two
by beadsnabone
Summary: Perhaps Edward will find love at last. It's been a long time but Chapter 15 is up. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Hi. I never thought I would be writing fanfiction. I only read it. But I had to do something for Edward. So I'm comin' in!  
  
_________________________________________________________________________ Disclaimer: (I guess I have to do this, right?) I do not own any of the characters from "Edward Scissorhands" nor am I using them for material gain.  
  
The Two  
  
Rating: PG  
  
1  
  
From behind the steering wheel of her old car, Nora looked up at the huge, dark old mansion on the hill. It had been two months since Jim and Edward had killed each other up there that night. The town had eventually returned to the way it was before Peg had brought Edward down. In fact it was almost as if he had never existed. They all referred to Jim's untimely death as an "accident" that occurred at the empty mansion on the hill, never mentioning Edward. It was as if they wanted to believe that he had never been among them.  
  
But Nora remembered Edward. His presence about town had been like a brief, misty hallucination. There had been something about him besides his scissor hands and strange appearance that she could not forget. A certain quality, maybe of innocence or purity, that she couldn't quite put her finger on. But he was dead and gone - only a faint memory to her.  
  
Now, as she sat in her car looking up at the house with it's dark, empty windows, all she wanted was to be inside it. To be in the dark quiet that it's emptiness promised her. For a moment she recalled how as a child she had found a massive boulder in a thick grove of trees that she liked to lay on to be alone. The tree branches above her were so low they brushed her body and made her feel cozily hidden. But this old house promised an even greater hiding place. A place that perhaps she could make into her own special place of aloneness. Maybe deep in the dark depths of it she could find peace. And maybe she could find a connection with her memory of Edward there. In the place he had come from and perished in. There was a faint ache in her chest as she thought of him.  
  
End of Chapter 1  
  
Note: I hope you all are not too into Kim cause she's outta here and Nora is in. Do you want her physical description in the story or do you want no description so you can put yourself in the story or think of her anyway you want?  
I want to thank all who came before me at FanFiction, especially the Edward fans. You have been a great inspiration. Now do your worst to me with your reviews, it doesn't matter, I still love ya and I can't wait to hear from you. 


	2. Chapter 2

2  
  
It was twilight still but light was fading fast as she steered her car up the road to the mansion. As she drove slowly with the window down she could hear the gravely road crunching under the tires. The warm air floated softly around her. She loved the feeling of the warm breeze on her face. She stopped the car outside the large gates and got out. She closed the car door as quietly as possible, trying not to disturb the quietness of the evening and glanced up at the mansion.  
  
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Inside, Edward sat in the shadows upstairs looking out the broken window that Jim had fallen from. He had seen a car coming up the path to the gate. A small rush of excitement had run through him at the thought of someone, anyone coming to the mansion. He had been so very lonely since his return to the empty mansion after having lived among the townspeople. He felt more lonely than ever before. More than after his father died. As awful as the townspeople had been to him in the end, he still missed them - their busyness, their conversations, their activities. He had liked to listen to them and watch them and he missed all that very much. The emptiness of his great house was cold around him. And of course he missed Kim - her warmth and her kindness. But he had watched her from his window and saw how she no longer glanced up at his house as she did the first week or two after the incident. He saw how she had begun walking back and forth to school with the same boy everyday. He saw how she looked happy and how she hugged the boy after he walked her to her door. He knew full well that she had chosen not to return in order to protect him but he also knew deep down that she would be happier with a "normal" person and that he was not that. He wished her well, he wished her happiness, as only one who truly loves can wish for another who once loved them but who left. He had grieved deeply for her and his heart had ached painfully and his tears had flowed copiously for many days after she left. Now, when he was not caring for the grounds of the mansion or tending to the simple needs of his daily life, he just sat for long periods of time at the broken window, longing for relief from the loneliness of his existence.  
  
He always felt better as night began to fall. He guessed the loneliness was not as severe at night because the town grew less busy and there was not as severe a contrast to his aloneness. So he had a measure of peace in the evening and he enjoyed seeing the lights of the town and cities beyond as they twinkled in the distance. It was as he sat that he had seen the car approach and then someone get out. And so he had felt the excitement at the thought of someone that might break the awful quiet of his loneliness. But he also felt a bit of fear at the memory of the vicious crowd that had gathered outside that awful night. He sat quietly and saw a girl/woman get out of the car and approach the mansion.  
  
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Nora looked up at the shattered window that Jim had fallen from and tried to put the memories of that night out of her thoughts. As she glanced about the path that led to the door she noticed that the yard looked very well taken care of.  
  
"Oh no," she thought, "maybe someone else is living here now." She hadn't thought that was possible since the house had never been repaired, yet the landscaping was immaculate.  
  
"Oh that's probably it - they have a landscaper come to keep up the yard each week. But there's no way anyone lives here," she reasoned with herself as she looked at the blackness of the windows and again at the broken window that had never been replaced.  
  
"That place is empty," she realized with relief.  
  
.  
  
Note: I apologize for my limited vocabulary and probably poor sentence structure etc., etc., etc. I'm not college educated but I hope I am getting the mood of the story across. 


	3. Chapter 3

3  
  
She approached the large door and pushed it open. Peering into the darkness she could see a large stairway and at the top she could see some of the roof missing and the evening stars beginning to show through. She entered quietly, feeling a rush of excitement as she was swallowed by the dark interior. She closed the door behind her. Darkness was falling fast outside now so she was drawn upstairs where she knew she could look out at the lights of the town and yet not be in total darkness. With the moonlight becoming apparent she knew it would be lighter outside the house once night had fallen completely than it would be inside and that with the moonlight shining through the open roof she would be able to see where she was going a bit better up there.  
  
Her footsteps echoed in the silence as she walked across the floor and began to climb the stairs. She climbed slowly, relishing the sound of her footsteps in the empty house. The dark silence enveloped her. Here she was alone and apart from the outside world. All alone in the dark empty house where Edward had lived. Her thoughts turned to him.  
  
Nora had always felt that Edward seemed close to her age, 22, and that he had looked out of place, age wise, with the high school kids. But she supposed the Bogg's didn't know what else to do with him during the day and apparently he needed some education so they had sent him to school with Kim.  
  
"What a strange place for him to come from," she thought as she peered into the deepening darkness. "It couldn't have been like this when he lived here. It must have been taken care of then and much nicer."  
  
In her mind she saw him again as a misty memory - his wild black hair and the innocence and intelligence in his eyes.  
  
Their eyes had met more than once when the Bogg's had brought him to the library in town where she worked. She had checked out his books and tried to be very kind about his awkwardness with his scissor hands. She had put his books in a canvas bag to make it easier for him and smiled as she handed it to him. He had smiled back. That was before the town had turned against him and he seemed rather happy. He had been a popular oddity and the center of attention - something she liked to avoid being - so she had simply watched him curiously from afar. And she had noted how he looked at Kim - he was completely devoted to her.  
  
Nora had been in love too at the time, for the first time in her life, really in love, so she hadn't given that much thought to Edward. The truth was she couldn't give much thought to anything because her life had become a roller coaster of emotion. She had never been in love like this before and she was nearly consumed by the intensity of it.  
  
The man she was in love with had been a regular patron at the library. His dark good looks had caught her eye and she had fallen hopelessly in love with him before they even exchanged words. The attraction she felt for him had overcome her shyness and eventually she had gotten up the nerve to make conversation with him. She thought he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. There was no reason for her to believe that he was anything other than beautiful on the inside as well.  
  
They began to see each other. She was essentially a shy, extremely private person but she gave herself completely to him, baring the secret parts of herself that she had kept carefully hidden deep inside for so long. She had never been willing to put everything on the line for someone before, but this time she did.  
  
Eventually it became apparent that not only did he not care for her the same way, but he enjoyed finding little ways to torment her using her intense feelings for him as leverage. More and more he found ways to make her feel small and push her away. He was ten years older than her and he often joked about her naivety. It was true, she had never been serious with anyone until him and he was treating her frivolously, playing with her emotions for his own amusement.  
  
It became clear to her that she was nothing more than part of a game he liked to play. Although she loved him she wasn't a fool so when he suggested they not see each other for a while she knew it was just another part of that game and she silently made the decision that they would never see each other again. Something inside her would not allow him to continue to treat her that way no matter how much she loved him.  
  
Yet because she had truly loved him she had been able to look past his behavior and see the man he might have been, not just the man he was. She knew that inside him there was a man who could have loved her back but that for some reason he was incapable of loving her or anyone and she sensed that deep inside he felt more tormented than she ever had. So she still loved him, even in spite of it all, but she knew full well he would never love her.  
  
Now it was over and she was left with a broken heart of her own. It had been difficult for her, her self esteem was all but destroyed and her heart was in pieces. She managed to forgive him and release him but she grieved deeply for the loss of the love she had hoped for.  
  
When she was alone tears came easily, often in an onslaught, and she made no effort to stem them. They flowed out of her uninhibited as grief overcame her. She never tried to stop them, somehow they were like a balm to her pain. They were like friends that shared her pain for a time and then evaporated like raindrops that when returned to the sky, produce another rain out of which new beauty springs forth. And so her heart had begun to heal after many showers of tears had fallen.  
  
It was during this time that memories of Edward had surfaced in her mind, drawing her to the mansion with the thought that she might find solace there.  
  
Now as she climbed the stairs thinking of Edward's deep dark eyes a sadness washed over her. Thoughts of Edward mixed with the grief that still lingered from her tortured love affair and she stopped for a moment holding onto the banister as her eyes filled with tears. It was always so much easier to cry in the dark, she thought, with the darkness to hide the unpleasant contortions of your face as the tears flowed.. Her eyes blurred from the tears but the night breeze flowing from the hole in the roof dried them enough so that none overflowed to her face.  
  
She took a deep breath and continued climbing slowly. She wanted very much to look out from the broken window and see the lights of town in the distance. And to be alone in the dark. She could think about Edward there. Maybe she could remember him better in the dark, in the house he had lived and died in.  
  
She reached the top of the stairs and turned to look toward the shattered window. She started and instinctively crouched against the banister as she saw a figure seated in a chair near the window. Fear surged through her and blood pumped loudly through her head, clouding her vision, as she froze in fear. 


	4. Chapter 4

4  
  
As her vision cleared, the sudden realization came to her that it was Edward silhouetted in the chair against the moonlight outside.  
  
"Oh...My...God", she thought, still frozen, "he's not dead. He's still living here!"  
  
Like pieces of a puzzle being put together in her mind, realizations clicked quickly through her head - no wonder the exterior was so immaculate, only Edward could have done that, there had been no landscapers. Kim must have lied for Edward when she said he was dead. But then why hadn't Kim returned, why did she have a new boyfriend? She stared into the darkness at Edward. She saw the moonlight shining on his scissor hands and with pity she knew that Kim was simply young and would have moved on to a new boyfriend even if Edward had not been run from town.  
  
"Now what to do?" she wondered as she stood against the banister still frozen. She wasn't sure if he had heard her come up the stairs but here was a good chance he had. "Oh my God, what do I do now? Try to leave or what?"  
  
She decided to try and leave and hope he hadn't heard her. She turned and began to descend the stairs. With luck she could make it back out to her car quickly and quietly without him noticing that she had been there. Even though that seemed impossible she hoped she might be able to do it. As she started back down the stairs she realized how very loud her footsteps had been and she didn't see how he could not have heard something.  
  
As all these thoughts were running frantically through her mind she heard, very clearly, his voice in the dark. "Don't go", he said.  
  
She froze. Her breath caught in her chest. 


	5. Chapter 5

5  
  
He had watched her wander up the path. Even heard her breathe the evening air deeply into her lungs as she approached. His eyes were sharp and he recognized her as the girl who had helped him at the library. She had been kind to him. His heart leaped as he realized he had nothing to fear. She had been kind and she was coming to his door! A kind person was coming to his house! Someone to see, to listen to! A face to see! He only had memories of faces. But here was a real person coming to his house! His chest tightened with joy and anxiety.  
  
He wasn't sure what to do. He sat in his chair and listened. He heard her open the door and let herself in. He heard her walk across the floor and start up the stairs. It became clear to him that she didn't know anyone was in the house. He listened as she climbed the stairs. He heard her reach the top, then suddenly stop and after a few moments start back down. He knew she had seen him and that she would leave.  
  
"No! No! Don't go!" he shouted inside his head as his heart sank. But all that came out of his mouth was a quiet "Don't go."  
  
"Ed...Edward?" Nora's voice cracked and she began to tremble..  
  
"Yes. Don't go," he answered. She heard an earnestness in his voice.  
  
"I'm sorry Edward. I had no idea you were here. We all thought you were dead. I'm sorry. I'll leave. I just didn't know. I thought the house was empty. I'll go now," she stammered. But she didn't want to go. She didn't want to go at all. A million emotions surged through her being and she wanted nothing more than to be with Edward there in the night, in the dark. She hoped against hope he would ask her again to stay, but she didn't want to endanger his existence in any way and she knew no one else must ever know that he was still alive.  
  
"Please stay," he answered.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I...I have a chair for you," Edward said and he rose from his seat and started for a chair that was in the shadows near the wall.  
  
"Oh, that's ok. I can get it myself," she said and hurried across the expanse of floor and reached the chair about the same time he did. They both were aware of the scent of the other in the dark and their closeness and the sound of each others breath. She was shaking harder now as she often did in difficult situations. Although it was dark Edward's pale face was apparent, his dark eyes shone and his hair was blacker than the night that surrounded them. Their eyes met for a moment then Edward looked away as they both fumbled for the chair. Edward let her carry it as he led the way back to the spot where his chair stood. She was thankful for that because if she was busy carrying the chair she trembled less.  
  
She followed him and sat her chair next to his but slightly back. She knew she would be uncomfortable if she was unable to see whether or not he was looking at her. If her chair was just slightly back she could look at him from the corner of her eye without him knowing and he'd be less likely to see her trembling.  
  
"I really just wanted to see the town's lights from here," she said lightly but her voice quavered. "You have the best view from up here."  
  
She sat carefully in her chair and he sat down next to her. "Don't you think so, Edward?" she asked softly.  
  
"Yes, I like to look out from here," he answered .  
  
"I like the dark," she said under her breath.  
  
"I like the dark too. Very much. The lights shine so beautifully in the dark. And....and I can't see the people then."  
  
"Yeah, the people," she answered, thinking of the cruelty of the townspeople. "You're lucky you have this place, Edward. You have it all to yourself with no one to bother you."  
  
There was silence as a warm breeze stirred about them. Her trembling wasn't so bad now.  
  
"I...I get lonely though," he said quietly.  
  
"Lonely?" she thought. She so much wanted to be alone and this was the most wonderful place for that.  
  
Suddenly she felt Edward's loneliness and it made her heart sink. "Oh," she said, not knowing what else to say. She remembered the intelligence in his dark eyes and all that he had gone through rushed through her mind. How he had been brought to town, made into a celebrity and then been driven back up here and she realized how awful he must feel.  
  
"You're in a bad situation, Edward," she said thoughtfully. "Everyone thinks you're dead and you have to keep it that way or they might take you away from here," she said, trying to make the logic ease his pain.  
  
"Yes, that's just it." He paused, then spoke again, "I miss the town."  
  
"Even though they were so mean to you?"  
  
"They were nice to me at first," another pause, then,"I miss the children the most. Some of them didn't care that I'm different," his voice was quiet. "And the dogs," he said as an afterthought.  
She glanced toward him and saw his dark eyes shining in the night. She thought they might be shining from tears and without thinking she put her hand on his wrist to comfort him. She stopped trembling. His scissors clicked softly at her touch and then quieted.  
  
They sat quietly together looking out at the night and Edward felt a warmth seeping over him. "This is good," he thought. He couldn't have hoped for more as he sat in the dark with the kind girls hand on his wrist. 


	6. Chapter 6

6  
  
They listened together to the night noises and the breeze as it rustled through the trees. Somewhere a mocking bird trilled in the night. She remembered one that sang in the night a long time ago when she was a child and how her mother and she had marveled that a bird would sing in the night.  
  
She was filled with peace and she chose not to move her had from his wrist. He sat quietly so as not to disturb her touch. He felt a measure of peace that he hadn't felt in a long time.  
  
She turned slightly in the darkness to study what she could of his form next to her. For quite awhile she looked at his black hair, his pale face with it's scars, the shape of his delicate features and his dark body. She saw how his scissor hands caught and reflected the moonlight and she thought for a moment how strangely beautiful they were. Long, slender and exquisite. She remembered the skill and care with which he had clipped and shaped the hair of women and pets during his time in town and she marveled at the memory. She felt a twinge of jealousy at his skill but she also felt a sincere admiration.  
  
There were a myriad of scissors of many different sizes that made up each hand and she couldn't imagine how he managed to coordinate them as he did to so skillfully create the hairstyles without ever leaving so much as a scratch on anyone human or animal. It occurred to her that they were just as wonderful in their construction as her own hands - just different.  
  
She was unsure how long they sat together but she knew a good deal of time had passed. She didn't want to leave but knew she had to.  
  
"Edward," she broke the silence. "I think I'd better go now."  
  
His heart began to sink. She lifted her hand from his wrist. He felt the warmth of her hand linger for a few moments, then he spoke, "What's your name?"  
  
"Nora."  
  
"Do you think you could come again sometime, Nora?"  
  
"Could I? I mean would you let me?" she asked. She felt it was just too wonderful that he had asked.  
  
"I would like you to," he said quietly. "We could look at the lights again."  
  
"Oh Edward, I would really like that. Thank you." she spoke softly. "But I'm not sure when I can come again."  
  
"When you can then." He looked down.  
  
"Ok Edward. I'm going now." She carried the chair back to it's place but only so she could linger a bit longer. Then she started down the dark stairs.  
  
"Goodbye," she called softly.  
  
"Goodbye," he whispered.  
  
He heard the door close and through the window he watched her get into her car and leave. But hope, like a soft warm glow lingered within him and he slept deeply and peacefully that night. 


	7. Chapter 7

The song is "Are You a Ghost?" from B*witched Awake and Breathe CD. You should listen to it because it sets a nice mood.  
7  
  
When Nora reached her car she got into it quickly and from behind the wheel looked up at the broken window. She thought she could see him, faintly, sitting there. She wasn't sure but she knew he was there even if she couldn't see him. She turned her car around and drove down the path and away from the mansion. The warm night soothed her nerves.  
  
When she finally crawled into her bed she lay awake a long time, her eyes wide in the dark. The trembling had returned and she felt the bed shake under her. It was a long time before she wound down like an over- tightened clock at which time sleep overtook her suddenly.  
  
It seemed she hadn't slept at all when the alarm woke her. For awhile she lay in bed as memories of the night before played through her mind. It almost seemed as if it had all been a dream, yet it had been too real for a dream. Thoughts of Edward made it difficult to concentrate on her work but somehow she managed to get through the day.  
  
She didn't return to the mansion that night - she needed time to think. The whole incident was beginning to seem unreal. The thought of Edward living alone up there all this time while everyone believed him to be dead was unsettling. That night she slept fitfully and images of Edward seemed to lurk in the shadows of her dreams.  
  
The next day she found it a bit easier to work but she knew she wanted to go back - to make sure that it had all really happened. She tried to remember Edward sitting next to her in the dark but already the memory was fading. As she lay in bed that night her radio played softly. The words to a song drifted about her as she fell asleep:  
  
...Here in the darkness  
Oh there's so many shades  
Shadows burn like faded flames  
And die into the night and fly  
Up so high  
  
Are you a ghost?  
Or are you alive?  
Would you be here for me  
Be here for me now  
Imagination?  
Or are you for real?  
Just give me a sign and I'll know.....  
  
The next morning she knew she had to go back that night. The day seemed longer than usual, but finally work was over. She drove home, showered and ate something, the whole time hoping for night to fall quickly. At dusk she got in her car again and drove to the mansion.  
  
Authors Note: For a long time I couldn't think of a name for Nora so I just grabbed it from Nora Jones. I'm totally addicted to her Come Away With Me CD. I get deep into any music I happen to be listening to and recently someone in my house has been playing an old Bewitched CD. Remember them? Don't laugh, I know they're kinda fluffy but I like them and they have beautiful voices. They were young and sweet and they remind me of Edward, which is why I used "Are You A Ghost?" from their second CD in the story. I'll be using more of their songs later, so if anyone has suggestions on how to do songfics or good ways to incorporate lyrics please email me. Also, I'm going to have Nora bring a CD player to the mansion at some point so tell me what music she could leave Edward to listen to during the day when she isn't there and especially for at night when they are together. Thanks so much and please keep reviewing - any suggestions are welcome. 


	8. Chapter 8

I can't thank you enough for the reviews!!! And thank you for the song suggestions - I need them so much, even if I don't use them in the story I need them to get me in the mood for writing this, so keep them coming!!!  
Also, if you don't mind, would you let me know your age when you review? If you don't want to say your age it's ok, I'm only asking so I know what age the people I'm writing this for (besides me) are.  
  
Don't own Edward, do own Nora, blah, blah, blah, whatever, now let's get to the story!  
  
8  
  
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All Edward could think of was Nora in the days that followed her visit. He could hardly believe someone had been to his house after having been alone for so long. He tried to remember her face but as hard as he tried he couldn't . He decided he would make a point of trying to memorize it when she returned - if she returned. But she'd said she would. She'd said she would like that and he clung to that as two days then a third passed. The third evening he sat at his window feeling the dreaded loneliness creeping back and trying hard not to let doubts about her returning cloud his mind. He decided to put the chair she had sat in next to him to chase away the doubts - as a way to prove to them that he was sure she would return - so sure that he would have her chair ready next to him. So they could sit together like before. He looked out at the twilight, remembering the feeling of her hand on his wrist. It was then that he saw her car coming up the drive. Excitement swept through him as he watched her get out and walk to the door. He decided to wait at the top of the stairs for her.  
  
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This time Nora knocked before she entered and called out to him once inside, "Edward?"  
  
"Come in."  
  
The minute she heard his voice she knew it had all really happened. She saw his figure dimly at the top of the stairs as she glanced up. She looked down before starting up, as if she were stepping carefully but really because she felt self conscious at the thought of him watching her.  
  
When she reached the second to the top stair she looked up at his face. A slight smile seemed to play about his mouth but she wasn't sure. She, however, couldn't suppress her smile at the sight of him. She smiled rather broadly in the deepening darkness and looked down again, feeling a little embarrassed. He held out one scissor hand and she felt the trembling threatening to return as she pressed her finger to it for balance and ascended the last step.  
  
"Thanks," she said under her breath. Her teeth chattered a bit from nerves.  
  
"I'm glad you could come, Nora." Her heart quickened at his words.  
  
She swallowed and answered, "I'm sorry I couldn't get back any sooner."  
  
She glanced across the room and saw that he had already placed her chair next to his, very closely to his so that they nearly touched. A quiet joy spread through her as she noticed the closeness of the chairs.  
  
Edward turned and she followed him. They both sat down as the night began to deepen. The chairs being so close that their bodies nearly touched as they sat and both of them felt acutely the closeness of the other in the dark - the breathing, the warmth, the solidness of the other. They sat without speaking.  
  
Thoughts of the day and the day to come tried to crowd into Nora's head but she pushed them firmly away. "I'll think about tomorrow in the morning," she thought. The rest of the world seemed to melt away and she felt as if the two of them looked down at the town from another planet. But that thought frightened her and she tried to bring herself back to reality.  
  
She became aware again of Edward's warmth. From the corner of her eye she saw the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed and the wild blackness of his hair. His pale features stood out in th darkness and his scissor hands again caught the moonlight. She would have liked to say something but she couldn't.  
  
Edward too was at a loss for works. She was so close that he breathed in the fragrance of her as she sat next to him. "She smells like the morning when the breeze is warm and beginning to carry the smell of the flowers opening," he thought to himself.  
  
Nora decide she better say something. "The lights are beautiful again tonight," She spoke quietly.  
  
"Yes," he replied in his own quiet voice. There was long pause and then, "you said that was why you came here, to look out at the lights." Edward stared straight out into the night as he talked.  
  
"That's right. And because I wanted to be alone," she said thoughtfully, glancing towards him.  
  
There were a few moment of silence before Edward spoke again, "But I was here so you didn't get to be alone."  
  
"Well that's true, I never expected anyone to be here. I thought the place was empty...but I'm glad you're here," she said quietly, amazed at her own honesty.  
  
/ "...but I'm glad you're here..." / the words fell like rose petals on his heart and he felt a now familiar warmth come over him. He took a deep quiet breath.  
  
"Why did you want to be alone?" his scissors clicked as he asked.  
  
She thought a moment about how much to tell him and then answered, "Well, because I broke up with my boyfriend and sometimes I want to be alone to kind of think about it." Why was he so easy to talk to she wondered?  
  
"Oh." He hadn't expected such an answer and he had to think about it a moment. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to break up with her, so he reasoned that she must have been the one who broke it off. Maybe she was thinking of getting back together with him and that's why she came here to think. He hoped that wasn't true but he wanted to know. He so much wanted her to like him. "Why did you break up?"  
  
"It's a long story...mainly it was because he didn't treat me very well," she answered softly.  
  
Edward's brow creased ever so slightly at her words. He couldn't understand that. How could anyone not treat her well - she was so kind and lovely. Then he remembered Jim and he knew there were some people who were like that - they just didn't see the kindness and beauty in the people around them.  
  
"Do you mind if we don't talk about it?" she asked. The question had brought unhappy thoughts to mind. Bryan was the last thing she wanted to be thinking about right then.  
  
"I'm sorry. No, I don't mind." He was satisfied with her answer but he also wanted to find out more of what she felt now that she had found him in the mansion instead of the aloneness she had been looking for. He would have to try to find out some other way. He knew he couldn't press the issue now.  
  
Nora, on the other hand wanted to believe that Edward really wanted her there for her, not just because of his loneliness. She wondered if anyone else's company would have been just as welcome to him. Well, he had said he was lonely and maybe she might be some company for him regardless of anything else - at least she hoped so. She did feel badly for him. He was too kind a soul to be treated like this. But beyond all that there was something about him - his gentleness and honesty - that made her like just being near him.  
  
As if Edward read her mind he turned in his chair and looked her full in the face. She was startled but she couldn't take her eyes off his beautiful features. Her breathing became shallow as she looked into his dark eyes. He looked back at her but his eyes darted across all the features of her face - he took in her eyes, her nose, her mouth, the shape of her face and her hair. He wanted so to have real hands at that moment. Of all the hair he'd ever cut or styled none did he want to touch as much as he did hers at that moment - it looked so beautiful in the moonlight.  
  
Slowly he lifted a scissor hand to her head. Now, staring at her hair, he let a scissor slide through a lock of it near her ear. She felt the weight of his scissors in the air near her head and the cool steel slide against her as he touched her hair.  
  
She was mesmerized. His face was so close now. Slowly he patted her hair back into place and turned again to look out at the night. He rested his hands in his lap. Nora was nearly breathless. She bit her lip softly and wondered what to do. They sat silently and she wished he would say something or that she could think of something to say.  
  
"Edward, what do you do here all day?" she asked rather lamely. She had been wondering about that ever since she had found him here and realized how long he had been alone but immediately after she said it she thought it was the wrong thing to have said. "I mean..."  
  
Edward was somewhat relieved that her question broke the awkwardness, but it was an uncomfortable one for him.  
  
"Well, I take care of the yard and the house mostly," his scissors clicked quietly again. He didn't know what else to say. She must think he was terribly pathetic.  
  
"It's too bad you can't fix the hole in the roof," she said nervously as she looked out at the night sky through the gaping hole. / That was a stupid thing to say, it's obviously too big a job for him to do alone. /  
  
"Well, I like to see the stars," he answered cautiously. "I sleep over there most of the time and I like to look out at the stars." He pointed into the darkness of the other side of the large area they sat in. "Unless it's raining too hard. Then I have my room." He hoped he wasn't sounding too pitiful.  
  
Suddenly Nora became aware of the immenseness of the huge house. "This house is so big. How many rooms are there?" she asked, her awe of the house overcoming her discomfort.  
  
"I...I don't know." It had never occurred to him to count them. He didn't like to be in the rest of the house too much. The rooms were cold and empty so he tried to stay where he could feel a connection to the outside - here where they sat or outside on the grounds of the big old house. He used the kitchen when he had to and the bathroom of course but mostly he liked this upstairs area. Especially at night. It felt good to look at the stars as he fell asleep. It was a comfort to know there was much more out there than just the town that had rejected him. It gave him a feeling of hope that there might be something for him again, somehow, in the greatness that stretched beyond. The town surrounded him, holding him captive, standing between him and everything else. He wouldn't allow himself to think about it during the day and if the depressing thoughts threatened to overwhelm him at night as he tried to sleep, he would gaze out at the vastness of the starry night from his bed and set his soul free for awhile by contemplating the possibilities that might exist beyond his prison.  
  
"Really?" There must be a lot then," Nora responded with genuine interest.  
  
"I never counted them. I don't like the rest of the house," his voice was quiet.  
  
Nora realized the empty rooms just added to his loneliness and she understood. She didn't want him to dwell on the fact that he was up in the mansion alone and the townspeople were all down there living their lives as before. She wished she could say something to make him feel better.  
  
"Still, it's so amazing. Even just in here, it's so big. I've never seen anything like it," she answered, sorry if she had talked too much about it.  
  
Edward recognized the interest in her voice, realizing how much the house fascinated her. Suddenly the empty house offered a way for him to invite her back again and he was thankful for that.  
  
"I could show you more of it." At the same moment he offered, he realized she would have to come in the daytime in order to see anything. He used mostly candles at night in order to minimize his use of electricity and she wouldn't be able to see anything of the house by candlelight at night. Even in the daytime he needed candlelight in some of the dark rooms if he needed to go in them. His father had prepaid the electric company long before he died but Edward didn't know how much or for how long that would last so he used very little electricity. "You... you could come in the daytime so you could see it better," he stammered. He had been glad for a chance to invite her back but now he wasn't so sure about it.  
  
"Oh, that would be really great," Nora answered quickly. She had hoped he would ask her back again. She wanted to see more of the house and it would be another chance to see him, and this time not just in the dark. "Today is Thursday. Maybe I could come Saturday in the afternoon," she thought aloud.  
  
"Ok," Edward swallowed. He was a little anxious about her seeing him in the light of day. It also ran through his mind that it would be a day and a half until he saw her again.  
  
They both sat quietly with their own thoughts and anxieties running through their minds. But soon these faded as they sat together. Somehow their closeness transcended anything else and peace descended over them. Nothing mattered except the warm breeze and the night sounds and the comforting darkness. They sat together along time that way until something inside Nora told her it must be time to go.  
  
She would have liked to stay longer. It was difficult to break the silence with goodbye but she had no other choice.  
  
"Edward, I should be going now. But I'll see you on Saturday, Ok?" God, she didn't want to go.  
  
Edward turned to look at her again, his eyes shining in the night. Again he was filled with hope at her words which promised her return though his heart sank at their parting. "Ok, Nora." Their eyes met briefly and Nora thought she had never seen such beautiful dark eyes. How had she never noticed their beauty before? Nearly overwhelmed she looked away quickly.  
  
"Do you want me to put the chair back over there?"  
  
"No," he looked down at the floor.  
  
She stood up and looked down at him as he continued to gaze at the floor. His form was motionless in the dark. She hesitated a moment, then reached her hand toward his hair but stopped just short of touching it. Her hand dropped to her side. "Goodnight, Edward" she said quietly.  
  
Edward rose from his chair and faced her. "Goodnight, Nora," he seemed to have trouble getting the words out clearly. She tried to smile, then turned and walked across the floor to the stairs. She felt him watching her intently as she left. At the top of the stairs she turned and looked back one last time.  
  
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Geez, I hope I'm doing the right thing letting these two see each other in daylight. Oh well, we'll see... Please keep reviewing!  
  
P.S. Does anyone know why italics don't show up when I upload?  
  
Note: I decided to use the slash mark: / , to identify where there should be italics. Thanks. 


	9. Chapter 9

I'm so glad some of you are liking this!!! Keep reviewing!!!  
  
Rating: PG -13 (may turn to R later)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from "Edward Scissorhands" nor am I using them for material gain. I do own the characters Nora and Bryan.  
  
9  
  
Nora walked slowly down the stairs, opened the heavy door and let herself out. As she followed the path to her car she noticed a bit more about the yard as it was illuminated in the moonlight. Large dark green topiaries were scattered about, they looked black and ominous in the night and she was frightened for a moment. Hurriedly she reached the car. A wave of relief came over her when her hand finally reached the handle of the car door. She opened it quickly and got inside. Turning the car around she glanced at the mansion through her rearview mirror. No one would ever guess someone lived there - the windows were so black and there was no sign of life other than the impeccable yard.  
  
She drove home remembering Edward's voice and his eyes. She still couldn't fathom him. How had he lived there, so alone, for so long? How did he stand it? / Well he has no choice, does he? /, she answered herself. Yes, the mansion was the sort of place she'd wanted to find for when she needed to be by herself. But to live there all the time - that was another story she realized.  
  
In her bed that night she lay awake thinking of Edward and his circumstances. Her heart began to ache for him and she thought she would cry as she felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. Blinking them back she determined to do something to help him somehow. Just what she didn't know for sure - just something to ease his loneliness, something to brighten his existence a bit. She was feeling extremely weary now and couldn't think clearly any longer. Her eyes closed and not being able to fight it any more she dropped off to sleep.  
  
The next morning she awoke still feeling a sadness left over from the night before. What could she do for him? Slowly she got ready for work her mind still troubled. She looked at the African violets on her windowsill as she fixed herself something to eat. The flowers always managed to lift her spirits whenever she took the time to really see them. Now, for a few moments, she paused to study them once again - the color and delicateness of the flowers and the soft fuzziness of the leaves. She couldn't help but wonder at their simple beauty. All of a sudden she realized that this was what she could bring to Edward - some sort of flower! He kept his yard beautifully but there was no color whatsoever in it. How could he not love some flowers to add to it? And he'd said that was what he spent most of his time doing - taking care of the yard. In town there was a garden center overflowing with all kinds of flowers and they were very inexpensive. When she went back to see him on Saturday she would bring just a few to him. If he liked them she could always bring him more. Her heart lighter now she finished getting ready for work.  
  
The day was like all the others before it had been - the same people, the same tasks but she smiled to herself now and then as she thought about Saturday. After work she drove to the garden center. There were so many beautiful flowers that she didn't know which to choose. As she wandered among them she was drawn to the Shasta daisies, they reminded her of the wildflowers that grew in the fields around her home when she was growing up. She finally decided on some that were daisy-like but which came in colors.  
  
When she got back to her apartment she left the flowers outside her door where they would be safe until she took them to Edward. She sat for awhile on the stairs, her chin in her hands as she looked at the flowers and listened to the birds chattering in the trees nearby. Tomorrow afternoon seemed an eternity away.  
  
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Edward had seen Nora glance back before she started down the stairs. He continued to watch as she made her way all the way down the stairs, across the floor and out the door. If only there was someway he could go with her but he knew there wasn't. At the shattered window he watched her car pull away, the gravel crunching under the tires. The car's headlights illuminated the trees in it's path as it traveled down the path. Soon he lost sight of them and all was as before. Resting one scissorhand on the frame of the window, he leaned out slightly to better feel the breeze on his face. He closed his eyes and tried to summon the images of her he had carefully stored away when he had studied her face in the moonlight. Yes, he could see her quite clearly in his mind. Even if he opened his eyes her image was still there. Satisfied, he walked across the room to his mattress. Suddenly he was very tired and he lowered himself heavily onto it. He could barely keep his eyes open. Thoughts of Saturday started to swirl through his head but faded quickly as he fell into a deep sleep.  
  
When Edward's eyes opened the next morning he knew immediately by how light it was outside that he had slept much later than usual. The birds outside were noisy and busy. One flew in the shattered window and lit on the floor in a shaft of light that came through. It pecked at the floor probably catching a bug. Edward watched it without moving until it flew back out the way it had come. As he sat up slowly, thoughts of Nora rushed into his head like river water when a dam breaks. His stomach tightened slightly. She would be coming tomorrow, sometime in the afternoon. It might as well have been an eternity as he thought of the minutes to be filled until then.  
  
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Nora opened her eyes Saturday morning and wasn't quite sure what time it was. She heard rain dripping outside her window. Outside it was gray and dim. She rolled over and checked the clock beside her bed. It was nearly 10:30. Why couldn't it be 2:30 instead? She sighed, knowing she could never sleep that long. She thought of the flowers she had for Edward and worried for a moment if he would like them. She saw him in her mind and suddenly whether he would like them or not meant very little compared to the need she felt to be with him again.  
  
End of Chapter 9  
  
Note: This story is taking on a life of it's own. It's almost scary. I might have Chap. 10 up by the weekend.  
  
P.S. Need lots of angsty songs to keep in the mood - so if you know of more email me or put them in your reviews. Thanks!!! 


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry I didn't post this chapter over the weekend. What happened was that I decided to watch the DVD, which I got for Christmas, in order to get a few more details on Edward's outfit and I saw that his yard was full of flowers when Peg first came to the mansion/castle. I had not seen the movie since several weeks before I started the story and it was a rented video so I honestly had not remembered the flowers at all - I thought the yard had just been full of topiaries. This little detail threw me off because a big part of my story involves Nora bringing him flowers etc. etc. so I had to rethink a few things to see if I could integrate the flowers having already been there (why, how) into the story and yet still keep Nora's part with the flowers too. Anyway it appears in the movie that Edward is capable of somehow propagating flowers because in the very end when grandmother Kim is finishing the story it shows Edward back at the mansion and the yard full of flowers again. But in my story he needs help with growing flowers - it is not something he can do on his own. It's all explained later. Just remember that when Edward flees back to the mansion and Kim follows the yard is very neglected and there are no more flowers and this is the approximate time when Nora discovers Edward (about 2 months after he returns to the mansion).  
I'll probably deviate from the movie in other little ways but it's my story and I will allow it I guess. So I hope you can go with me on a few of these things - I don't think they will be anymore outrageous than him somehow getting all that ice to carve at the mansion to make it snow.....  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from "Edward Scissorhands" nor am I using them for material gain. I do own the characters Nora and Bryan.  
  
10  
  
Nora knew she'd go crazy waiting around the apartment all day so after she showered and had some breakfast she did what she often did to pass the time - she grabbed a handful of CDs and got in her car. First she carefully put the flowers on the floor in the back and made sure she had enough money for lunch. She knew where she wanted to go. About forty-five minutes beyond town was the place she'd grown up. Someone else lived there now but today she felt a need to be there again.  
  
As she drove, the houses became farther and farther apart, the lawns less and less perfectly kept and the roads narrower and rougher. As she began to get closer to her destination, she turned down several small roads until she reached the last which was just slightly better than dirt. Actually it was dirt which having been oiled down many times had a hard coating on it that kept down the dust. Today dust was not an issue. The rain had stopped falling but the atmosphere was dense with moisture. Slowly the car continued past several new houses with neatly mowed lawns that looked totally out of place on the narrow poorly kept road. The houses stood in what had once been the fields where the wildflowers she loved had grown. On a day like today the tall grass and flowers would have been lying down heavy with the rain. Farther along she passed an old house, the one she'd grown up in. After all this time she still felt this place was hers and no one else should be there. If she was rich she would buy it back and all the fields with it and tear down the stupid new houses and live there herself - but she was far from rich. Well she could dream couldn't she? Across the road from the house was what was left of the barn. The entire back of it had finally collapsed and only the front part remained standing. She had spent many hours in that barn when she was young. She would sit in the loft and hang her legs outside and look off over the distant hills. If you got up early enough the sun rose from behind those hills. She had never seen sunrises like that since her family had moved away. Directly in the opposite direction had been the most glorious sunsets...  
  
The road curved sharply past the house and barn, descended, turned again the other way, and continued along, the surface no longer oiled. There was a larger field to the right and woods on the left and there were no more houses. Slowly she continued on until there were woods on both sides of the road. Nora slowed the car even more until she found a place where she could pull over far enough to let another car pass - if another should even come this far. She turned off the engine and got out. The sound of the car door closing seemed out of place in the quiet. She scanned the right side of the road until she saw what she was looking for - a stone wall that began at the road and disappeared into the woods at a right angle. She had decided to follow that stone wall through the woods until she reached the pond that she and her brother had fished in when they were kids. She stepped over the ditch that ran along the road and up the small bank into the woods. Carefully she walked along some sort of animal trail that followed the wall, wet ferns brushing at her pant legs. She kept her eyes nearly constantly on the ground only glancing up now and then until she spied a little patch of orange on the path in front of her. She knew she'd find one! Today was the perfect sort of day for them. She squatted down and examined the brightly colored little newt. Coaxing it onto her hand she brought it closer to her face, stopping it from jumping off by using her other hand to block it's escape. There was something about their bright color, so out of place in their surroundings, and their incredibly soft skin and shiny eyes that fascinated her. She maneuvered it so that it's little feet that looked so much like hands spread over one of her fingers. Delicately she stroked it's back. Satisfied, she pushed it gently off her hand and under some ferns at the side of the path. She continued on toward her goal of the pond keeping her eyes on the path so as not to step on any others.  
  
Finally she was near the pond. She had to leave the path and go through the woods to reach the bank which was cleared slightly. Pushing slender wet tree branches out of her way she made her way to the spot and looked out over the small body of water. It could just barely be called a pond. It was probably not much more than sixty or seventy feet across with a boggy stream that trickled through the front, past the bank that they had fished from and off to the other side into the woods. It was this little stream that must have kept the pond alive and from becoming stagnant - that and the shade from the woods that surrounded it.  
  
She sat down on a rock that showed through the grasses on the bank like a bald spot on the back of a man's head. Insects buzzed in a cloud around her head and lit in her hair. She waved at them wildly as she tried to enjoy the quiet and seclusion of the place.  
  
Memories of the pond surfaced in her mind, skating on it in winter, taking a little boat to the far side in summer, dragonflies and water spiders - but mostly fishing off the bank and catching catfish. There was a muskrat that lived on the far side and big frogs and lots and lots of turtles - their heads visible above the water as they floated. She remembered how if they cast their lines, baited with worms, too far out they would be nearly immediately snapped off by something. Their father had concluded it was a big snapping turtle. They had never actually seen it but they knew it was there - the snapped lines with missing hooks were the evidence. She often wondered how many hooks it must have had in it's mouth and it had worried her as a child. That was when she could still bait a hook with worms, something she couldn't -wouldn't - do anymore.  
  
That turtle was like the big old ruler of the pond. A little legend in her family. She didn't know if it was her or her brother but one of them must have made the mistake one time of telling some other kids about it. These kids had gone down to the pond alone and caught the turtle and killed it. They had brought it past her house and showed it to her mother. They held the big, awkward creature up on a rope to show big it was. She had been filled with anger and pain and most of all disbelief, all of which swirled around inside her forming a hard lump of frustration. Even if she had known what they planned to do there was nothing she could have done to stop them. If only she and her brother had never told anyone about it - but it had never occurred to them that someone would want to kill it. Even though it had happened many years ago, the injustice of it was still fresh within her. After that she had been much more careful about who she told things to and just what she would tell them.  
  
She had brought Bryan here once and now he was part of the memories of the pond too. He hadn't understood the specialness of it as she had hoped he would. Instead he had found it's seclusion more as an opportunity for other things. He had kissed her on the grassy bank with his usual lust that was always simmering just below the surface. Unlike her own, which traveled far from somewhere deep within her soul, to mingle with his as they kissed. That day she'd felt the pond had accepted him, even if it was only because she loved him so much. She shook her head at the idea. / What a crazy thought! As if the pond was a living being! / She felt tears begin to well up and she buried her face in her hands as they overflowed down her cheeks. Sobbing softly she cried for the turtle's senseless death, for the end of her childhood and her disastrous love affair. As her tears flowed, the pond, knowing her love for it and recognizing her as the child that had fished from it's tiny shore years ago, wrapped unseen arms around her to comfort her.  
After a time her crying subsided somewhat and she put one hand down behind her in the grass to support her weight, entwining the grass in her fingers. She looked out across the pond feeling drained but also feeling the quiet peace - now so familiar to her - that comes after crying.  
  
The bugs were especially bad because of the rain and she knew she wouldn't be able to stay for much longer without getting bitten. Slowly she stood up pulling a handful of grass with her. Her thoughts turned to Edward. She had better be going. She sighed, breathing in the smell of the pond. First she would just have a look at the way she used to get to the pond when she lived there. Back then she and her brother cut through the fields and came in the opposite way that she had today. She had to make her way through a boggy, grassy area to reach the field they used to come through. She soon found the way was full of deep muddy ruts apparently made from ATV tires. In the distance she heard the sound of engines revving. Afraid of being seen she decided to get back to her car as quickly as she could. She turned back and reached the grassy bank one more time. With one last look at the little pond she continued her way back through the woods to the path. She hurried carefully along it until she saw her car through the trees. Looking up and down the road she took a long stride out of the woods and across the ditch. Back in her car she started the engine and pulled away.  
  
She drove along some more back roads - she knew them all around here - until in a roundabout way she came back onto the more main roads. Back toward town she traveled, listening to the radio, trying now to leave the memories behind and starting to feel the beginnings of hunger. Some of the music she listened to lifted her mood a little and she was feeling better and thinking of what to eat as she pulled into the drive- through of a fast food restaurant just outside of town. She ordered her usual favorites and parked in a spot in the far corner of the restaurant's parking lot to eat. Finishing her food, she stuffed all the garbage into the take-out bag and checked the time. It was nearly 3:00. Still a little too early, she felt, to see Edward. She put in a CD, leaned back and closed her eyes for a while. The volume was low but the songs played clearly in her head. Tired now, she dozed as the music played. Half awake, thoughts of Bryan ran through her head, brought there by the words of a song...  
  
/ ...maybe we were meant to be  
living our lives separately  
and it's strange that things change  
but not me wanting you so desperately. /  
  
Slowly, her eyes opened and she stared at the ceiling of her car. She'd thought she was over this.  
  
/ Oh why can't I ignore it?  
I keep giving in but I should know better... /  
  
Squeezing her eyes shut she pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Abruptly shutting off the music, she glanced at the time - only 3:20! She started the engine and backed out of the parking spot. The tires squealed as she pulled onto the road a little too quickly. She drove to a small shopping mall nearby and wandered through a few of the stores, nearly losing track of the time. Upset now, from thinking about Bryan, she wondered if seeing Edward was the right thing to do. As she returned to her car to think about it, she spotted the flowers on the floor in back. Leaning her head against the window she looked down at them. Thoughts of how he might like them crossed her mind and suddenly she wanted very much to take them to him.  
  
Inside the car she started the engine and took a deep breath. She was having a hard time ridding herself of thoughts of Bryan. They continued to push their way into her mind. Hoping to obliterate the thoughts, she skipped to the first song on the CD she had been playing earlier:  
  
/ Now, don't just walk away  
pretending everything's okay  
and you don't care about me.  
I know it's just no use  
When all your lies become your truths  
and I don't care. /  
  
She played the music louder than usual, old anger and hurt bubbling to the surface.  
  
/ Could you look me in the eye  
and tell me that you're happy now?  
Would you tell it to my face?  
Or have I been erased  
Are you happy now?  
Are you happy now? /  
  
She pulled the car onto the road and headed toward the mansion.  
  
/ You took all there was to take  
and left me with an empty plate  
and you don't care about it.  
And I am giving up this game  
and leaving you with all the blame  
'Cause I don't care.  
  
Could you look me in the eye  
and tell me that you're happy now?  
Would you tell it to my face  
or have I been erased?  
  
Are you happy now?  
Are you happy now?  
Do you really have everything you want?  
You can't ever give something you ain't got  
You can't run away from yourself.  
  
Could you look me in the eye  
and tell me that you're happy now?  
Come on tell it to my face  
Or have I been replaced?  
Are you happy now?  
Would you look me in the eye?  
Could you look me in the eye?  
I've had all that I can take  
I'm not about to break  
'Cause I'm happy now.  
Are you happy now? /  
  
She reached the drive and slowly started up it. At the top she stopped the car and looked through the big iron gate to the yard. Edward was standing with his back to her trimming one of the topiaries. Nora got out of the car and quietly closed the door. She walked up to the gate and stood for a moment with her hands against it watching Edward. Seeing him, all of her anger and hurt began to melt away.  
  
End of Chapter 10  
  
Note: The songs are from Michelle Branch's Hotel Paper CD. The first is "Desperately" (I only quote a few lines), the second is "Are You Happy Now?". This is a great CD - I highly recommend it.  
  
Would you please comment in your reviews on whether or not you are liking Nora on a scale of 1 to 10 - "1" meaning you don't like her at all - on up to "10" which means you really, really like her. What do you think of her - is she too wussy? Thanks. 


	11. Chapter 11

Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from "Edward Scissorhands" nor am I using them for material gain. I do own the characters Nora and Bryan.  
  
11  
  
For nearly two full days Edward had felt the minutes creep by as he awaited Nora's return. He had thought and worried about it a lot but mostly he just wanted to see her again. He had even wondered about whether he should have something for her to eat in case she got hungry while she was there. If she came in the afternoon and stayed until dark, as he hoped she might, she might get hungry. He had decided to make soup - just in case. It was one dish that was fairly easy for him to make and he loved the taste of his own soups so maybe she would too.  
  
On Saturday he had tried to keep busy mostly outside in the yard, even though it had been raining on and off. He tended to the topiaries, clipping here and there. Shaping and perfecting. Waiting and worrying. Deep in thought he had clipped a poodle topiary from standard size down to mini as he tried to fill the empty minutes. Now it was late in the afternoon and again he felt that she might not return but this time he was too emotionally exhausted to fight the doubts and he had resigned himself to them ... almost.  
  
There had been times in the past when he worked so diligently at his trimming that he was able to believe, just for a brief moment, that he had normal hands and that he was just holding the scissors as he had seen the people in town hold the hedge trimmers. During this time of intense concentration on the work he was doing he was able to feel for a moment that when his task was finished he would be able to put down his tools and walk away from them just as he had seen the others do when they had completed their work...  
  
The sky had been gray and cloudy all day with an occasional lazy rain falling now and then, but now a breeze had started to stir and parts of the sky were clearing, allowing the sun to shine strongly enough at times to cast afternoon shadows from the topiaries onto the yard. Edward looked at the sky suspiciously. The clouds were moving a bit too quickly for his liking and the western sky was ominously dark  
  
Birds chattered as he moved about, scolding him if he got too near one of their nests hidden in the topiaries. But Edward knew where each nest was and he was careful not to get near enough to them to cause any harm with his scissors. Wandering the perimeter of the yard he closed the heavy iron gate when he reached it. He continued to tend to the yard, snipping and trimming randomly, all the while listening intently for the sound of Nora's car. A bird fluttered close to his head and he instinctively pulled back to avoid a collision, feeling the rush of air from it's wings on his face. Lost in thought he had gotten too close to a nest and the little bird had warned him by flying close enough to get his attention. It was then that he had thought he heard the faint sound of tires on the path. His scissors, which were raised to the bush in front of him, froze as he listened. Yes, the sound was more distinct now - it was definitely her car. Not turning around he continued to clip the bush more slowly and deliberately as he followed the sound of the approaching car.  
  
His stomach tightened. He felt happiness, relief, and apprehension all at the same time. Still snipping at the same bush he heard the car pull up and stop. He heard the car door open and close quietly. He was too nervous to turn around. His heart thumped heavily in his chest.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
Nora pushed the gate open just enough to get through. "Edward," she called to let him know she was there. Maybe he was so intent on his work that he hadn't heard her car. She saw him stop his trimming and turn around slowly. She was surprised that he seemed taller standing here in the yard than he had in the mansion at night and more strongly built. He held his scissorhands out slightly from his sides - they also seemed larger than she had noticed them to be in the dark. His eyes followed her as she started towards him. If only she could tell what he was thinking, she thought to herself as she walked across the yard, but with Edward it was often hard to tell. She searched his face for some sign as she approached. She had nearly reached the spot where he stood and she was starting to feel anxious until she looked into his eyes. Transfixed, she lost all awareness of her surroundings for a moment, unable to see anything except the beautiful dark eyes that drew her in. Shaking off the spell, she looked out across the yard over his shoulder then back to his face.  
  
"Hi," she squinted and smiled a small smile up at him.  
  
Edward had been watching her intently. He found it difficult to tear his eyes away from her even though he knew it wasn't polite to stare at people. The sight of her figure crossing his yard and coming toward him filled him with joy and wonder. For a brief moment a memory of Kim flashed across his mind but he carefully tucked it away in the back of his mind where he kept his other memories of the past and refocused on Nora. There was something so perfect about her being in his yard - as if she belonged there. As if the yard had never been complete until she stepped into it and never would be complete again if she left.  
  
The breeze was stronger now. It blew wisps of her hair about her head, providing an ever changing frame for her face.  
  
He blinked down at her, his face softening. "Hi, Nora."he replied, feeling the tightness in his stomach beginning to relax.  
  
Nora looked into his face. His scars seemed more prominent in the daylight and she noticed one in particular on his lower lip. "Poor Edward!" she thought as the enormity of his situation - scissors for hands! - raced through her mind. Finding it difficult to look into his eyes, she looked down at the ground and then surveyed the yard. It was incredibly beautiful and again she felt awed by what Edward had done with it.  
  
"You're yard is beautiful," she said sincerely.  
  
Her words were was music to Edward's ears. He worked hard in his yard and although he loved it and enjoyed it, he often wished that he could share the beauty of it with others. Making it beautiful just for himself left an emptiness inside him.  
  
"Thank you," he said, so happy that she liked it.  
  
"You have a lot of birds around here don't you?" Nora commented, noticing the chattering of the birds and looking around the yard some more.  
  
Edward again noticed her interest and took advantage of it.  
  
"They like to make nests in the bushes. I have to be careful where I clip," he turned back toward the bush he had been trimming. Taking a step to the side, he reached with his scissors and gently spread some of the branches allowing her to peer into the dark recess of the bush. Carefully he pointed inward to where a tiny nest was attached to the twigs of a small branch. Nora leaned forward into the bush, grasping a few of the small branches for balance and looked at the nest. She had never seen such a tiny one. It had four of the smallest eggs she had ever seen in it.  
  
"What kind of bird has a nest that small?" she wondered aloud, amazed by it's tiny size.  
  
Edward had stepped aside to allow her to see but he still held the larger branches to keep them from snapping back. He studied her from the side as she thought out loud, catching the pleasant smell of her hair as she leaned close to him.  
  
Nora had forgotten Edward for a few seconds in her absorption with the nest but as she turned back toward him with her question still uppermost in her mind she realized how close he was. As she turned toward him all she saw in front of her eyes was the black leather of his arm as he patiently held the branches back for her. She felt the warmth radiating from his body and breathed in the smell of the warm leather. Set off balance by his unexpected closeness, she tottered for a moment as she tried to straighten up after leaning so far into the bush. She grabbed his arm to balance herself and to keep from falling into the branches. He stood solidly as she regained her balance. Finally feeling stable, she let his arm go and backed a step away from him.  
  
"Sorry", she gave an awkward little laugh.  
  
Edward just looked at her and gently let the branches return to their original position.  
  
He turned and squinted up at the top of the large bush. "It's that bird" he said lifting one scissor and pointing skyward. Now in the daylight Nora noticed how large and heavy his scissors really were and it flashed through her mind how strong he must be to use them as hands. / Imagine never being able to take them off - never being free of them! /  
  
"It's a wren," she said excitedly, recognizing the distinct chattering of the little bird. "I never saw a wren's nest before. I never knew they were so tiny."  
  
"There are a lot of other nests," Edward offered. "Do you want me to show you?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
Edward toured the yard, stopping to bend back branches, revealing all the nests within reach in all the bushes throughout the yard. Nora was delighted. She tried to identify each of them. Most probably belonged to various sparrows but there were two robin nests and one that seemed to belong to a yellow warbler that darted nearby. She would bring back a bird identification book the next time she came she thought to herself.  
  
Edward liked learning the names of the birds that lived in his yard but he liked even more seeing Nora's happiness in telling him.  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot," Nora said as she remembered the flowers in her car, "I have something for you."  
  
"You do?" Edward had never expected that she would bring something for him and he had no idea what it might be but like a child, or anyone for that matter, he was excited and touched at the thought of her bringing him something. Although he managed to wring the most possible from his life and surroundings as far as making the most of what he had and in finding interest in the seemingly most insignificant things, the thought of something that she might have brought back with her from the town at the bottom of his hill was like the Spaniards returning with treasure from the New World.  
  
"Yes, it's in the car. I think you'll like it. At least I hope you do," she said smiling. As she walked toward the gate Edward followed, noticing that the breeze had turned cooler and the dark area of the sky was expanding almost to directly overhead.  
  
"I'll get it," she said as she slipped through the narrow opening of the gate and to her car. Opening the back door she reached in to the floor and brought out the small flat of flowers. Turning back toward the gate she pushed the car door shut with her foot and walked back toward Edward who was watching from the other side. Nora kept her eyes on his face hoping to see a sign of his reaction to the flowers.  
  
"Do you like them?" she asked as she squeezed back through into the yard. She held them in front of and against her so they were just below Edward's chest height.  
  
Edward stared at the flowers, memories of his yard when it was once filled with flowers flooded his mind. He remembered how his father and he had worked together in the yard, he tending the bushes and topiaries and his father planting flowers. Together they had filled the yard with greenery and color. When he had returned to the mansion that terrible night, the flowers were dead and the yard overgrown. In a way it had been a good thing because the time he spent restoring the yard had been a good way for him to keep busy while he dealt with his feelings for Kim and everything else that had happened. It had been therapy of a sort for him. But he had no way of replacing the flowers that had died and he had missed them terribly. He often thought of the flower gardens he had seen in town. Some had flowers he had never seen before, in fact he had been amazed at the variety that he never even knew existed. He had wandered through some yards one morning when he lived at the Bogg's, drawn from garden to garden, yard to yard, so fascinated with the scents and colors that he'd lost his way for a while. Even all the way up here at the mansion the scent of the flowers from the gardens below sometimes carried on the breeze into his yard on warm mornings.  
  
Edward looked from the flowers into Nora's eyes. "Thank you," he breathed, happiness mixing with anxiety inside him, his scissors clicking nervously. There was no way he could plant them on his own and he was sure she didn't realize it. He took the flat from her and turned away. Nora followed him as he walked over to the stairs of the mansion and put the flowers down in a sheltered area nearby.  
  
Nora sensed something was wrong but she wasn't sure what, only that Edward seemed upset and it was the flowers that seemed to have brought it about. She wasn't sure just what to say to find out. "They're pretty, don't you think? They had all kinds but I thought these were the nicest. Do you like them?"  
  
"I like them very much," Edward said quietly.  
  
"Where do you think you might plant them?"  
  
Edward looked down at his scissors, slowly clicking them. "I...I don't really know." Suddenly he felt awkward and useless. The one thing she had brought him he couldn't do anything with and he didn't know how to tell her.  
  
All at once Nora knew what was wrong and her heart sank as she realized the mistake she had made in bringing the flowers without thinking it through. Hurriedly she searched her mind for something to say to that might somehow make the situation ok.  
  
Nora had always been an extremely honest person, and as a child, sometimes bluntly so. This wasn't because she was unkind, it was simply the way she was. She had learned to soften her honesty over the years because she didn't want to hurt people's feelings but basically it was the only way she knew how deal with the world. Speak the truth, she felt, and the truth can be dealt with. If someone speaks a lie or a distortion and if you assume it to be the truth and begin dealing with it as the truth, you will soon be completely off track because it wasn't the truth to begin with. As the years went by, she found it harder and harder to be completely honest, but mostly she gave honesty the best she could and naively assumed others would be equally honest back. Life was hard enough without trying to second guess people or expecting them to figure you out. Edward was one person she didn't want to have to play games with. She decided to just tell it like it was.  
  
"I think you might have trouble digging a hole for them because of your scissors and all so I can help you with that," she said, almost as if it had been obvious from the beginning.  
  
Edward looked into her eyes again. "Yes... that would be good," he paused and looked down. "Because... you know... I can't grip the handle of the shovel," he said bravely.  
  
"Yeah, I figured that...... just now" she added and smiled a sideways smile up at him, "So I can help you, ok?"  
  
In that moment of understanding a tiny bond was formed between them like a wisp of spider silk which spans a seemingly impossible expanse to begin what eventually becomes a strong yet delicate, as well as beautiful creation.  
  
"Ok," Edward ventured a smile. Nora's heart soared, it was the first time she had seen him smile.  
  
**************************************************************************** * Was this chapter too long? I know there wasn't much action - I'll try to get a little more going on in the next chapter. Any comments are welcome. 


	12. Chapter 12

1

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Don't own Edward or Kim; do own Nora & Bryan.

12

A loud clap of thunder sounded almost directly above Nora and Edward. Nora jumped. Neither of them had noticed the lightning that had flashed a moment before. Edward looked at the sky. It had been many shades of gray but now it had darkened considerably. It seemed much later than it really was as the thick black clouds began to obliterate the sunlight. Nora noticed a strange freshness in the breeze probably from a distant downpour.

"We better go inside," Edward said.

"Ok," Nora agreed, thinking how a lightning storm would be especially dangerous to Edward considering his metal scissors..

Edward walked up the stairs to the door and opened it. Nora followed and they both entered the mansion. Although on a dry day the inside of the mansion seemed cool and damp, today it seemed less damp than the outdoors and even a bit warmer as it closed out the breeze. It was rather dark however and Nora mused that it would be difficult to see well in the dimness. There was no sun shining outside to illuminate the interior through the small windows.

The dimness closed around them and Nora immediately felt an incredible sense of comfort as she followed Edward. A small ache of desire ran through her as she studied his back and shoulders as he walked in front of her. She wanted very much to reach out and touch him.

The sound of the wind becoming stronger outside distracted her. She knew the storm would soon reach the mansion.

"Do you mind if I go up the stairs and look at the storm from the window?" she asked. Edward stopped and turned around to look at her. He was torn in that he wanted to go with her but he knew it would be foolish to stand at an open window during a thunder storm with his metal scissors. He saw her standing there with a strange earnest expression on her face.

"I don't mind," what else could he say? That he wanted her to stay near him so he could feel her closeness? That if she stayed near there might be a reason for her to touch him one more time?

There was another flash of lightning and crash of thunder. Nora's pulse quickened She had to get up to that window. She had to see what the storm looked like from there. She glanced at Edward's scissors. "I won't be long," she said, her heart beating faster. They could feel the breeze getting stronger, finding it's way down the stairs to where they stood.

"Ok," Edward said but he knew it didn't matter what he said. He could tell that, for whatever reason, she would go regardless of what he said. He'd barely spoken when she turned and hurried up the stairs. He looked after her and wondered.

At the top of the stairs Nora hurried across the expanse of floor feeling the storm soaked breeze flooding through the hole in the roof. It was more of a wind now and it swirled around her as she made her way to the window.

The breeze carried with it the first raindrops of the storm. They were large scattered drops that splattered against her clothes and skin. She took a deep breath through her nose, filling her lungs with the power of the impending tumult. She leaned out the window and the wind whipped her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to experience the feel and the smell of the storm. But she couldn't bear to keep them closed too long. Opening her eyes she looked out to the town and the expanse of sky above it. The dark clouds were moving very quickly and changing shape, form and color as they did so. There was more lightning and then thunder that seemed to rumble through her entire body. It reminded her of the sound of fireworks - the way the booming noise seemed to go right through her. With the wind in her face she searched the horizon for the forked streaks of lightning but she didn't spot any and now there were electric flashes and thunder sounding nearly directly above her. She realized the storm was coming from the other side of the house and that she would not be able to see it's approach. Maybe later she would be able to watch it as it passed. She could hear the sound of the downfall as it made it's way along the roof from the far side of the mansion to just over her head. It started to fall through the roof hole and then the torrent of rain fell past the window and down into the yard below, pelting the bushes and flooding the lawn in a matter of moments. Now it was less comfortable upstairs. Not much rain was coming in through the roof considering the intensity of the downpour but that was probably because of the approach of the storm and the angle at which the rain was coming down. The storm had hit the front of the mansion and so the back was somewhat protected. She was still getting wet at the window, however and she couldn't see any distance because of the downpour so she turned back to the interior of the attic area and started toward the stairs.

She noticed to her left, in the dim light, a fireplace area that she had not seen when she had been there at night. She walked over to it. This was where Edward had pointed to when he told her where he slept. It was far enough from the roof hole and window so that the rain didn't quite reach it. There was just enough light in spite of the storm for her to see a stack of books against the wall and lots of magazines that seemed to have been cut up spread around the fireplace. Inside it was a bed of sorts. She immediately felt as if she were intruding on Edward's privacy but she was fascinated as well. There were clippings fastened up within the fireplace. They were of strange newspaper stories and of people and buildings, animals and flowers. One clipping said "Boy born without eyes reads with his hands". As Nora surveyed the small area and read the clipping she felt all of the longing and sadness that she was sure Edward must feel as he lay on his bed at night looking at the papers surrounding him. Her eyes traveled up to the hole in the roof and she remembered how he had said that he like to look at the stars at night. Slowly she turned and bending down sat carefully on his bed. No longer aware of the storm, her hands touched the rough worn mattress and she felt her throat tightening with emotion and tears forming in her eyes. _Oh Edward!, _she brought her hands to her eyes to stem the flow of tears that threatened to overflow. The tears wet her fingers and she felt as if her heart would break for him. Exhausted from the emotions churning inside her, she lay down across his bed. She felt the impression that his body had made in the rough bedding as she stared unseeingly into the deepening darkness. Closing her eyes she felt as if somehow she had become Edward as she lay there - feeling what he felt, almost thinking his thoughts. Unsure of how much time had passed, she suddenly realized she had to find him right away. Feeling dizzy, she sat up and hurried across the floor. It was becoming darker and darker as she made her way further from the window and roof hole. She found the stairs and started down.

As she hurried down the stairs it became darker yet. The sun must have begun to set even as the storm began to subside because a whole new wave of darkness seemed to suddenly engulf her as she descended. Now and then a weak flash of lightning allowed her to see where the windows were but the storm had passed rather quickly and the lightning was farther away than before so it did nothing to light her way. At the bottom of the stairway she called out to Edward. A distant rumble of thunder was all she heard in reply. She had no idea where he had gone and no clue as to which way to go to look for him. Suddenly she felt as if she had lost him forever and a strange panic ran through her. " Edward!" she called again. She hesitated to let go of the banister. She felt as if the last stair was an island in a sea of darkness and if she let go she would be lost in it. Her heart pounded in her chest as she listened again for an answer. Suddenly she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Turning to the left she saw it again - a dim flicker of light that was slowly growing larger. Now she could hear Edward's shuffling steps and she exhaled in relief. As he rounded the doorway across the room the candle he carried cast wild shadows along the walls. Seeing him at last, Nora wanted to rush across the room and wrap her arms around him but instead she just stood as if she were anchored to the floor.

Having heard the urgency in her voice he hurried across the expanse of floor to see what was the matter.

"Are you ok?" he asked, concern in his quiet voice. The candle he was carrying softly illuminated his pale face and to Nora he had never looked more beautiful.

As he got closer he saw that her eyes were glistening and she was breathing heavily.

"Yes." she answered. Edward studied her face, he was sure that something was the matter but he didn't know what.

"Did the storm frighten you?" he asked. He thought, just for a moment, how lovely she looked in the candlelight.

"No...it's just that it got dark really quickly and I... didn't know where you were," she swallowed, looking up into his dark eyes.

_/I...didn't know where you were./_ - The words echoed in his mind and he felt a strange sense of importance - of being needed. He had been needed before but not in the same way. The people in town had needed and wanted him for what he could do with their hair or their pets and because he was different - and they needed him to make themselves feel important.. But now, because of her words, he felt for the first time that he was needed for himself - just for Edward - just because he was. He stared down at her as he let the feeling sink in. It was new and he liked it.


	13. Chapter 13

To all who have reviewed my story: I can't express my gratefulness to you. Until I received reviews I never understood the impact of them - the encouragement they bring. When I check my mail and there are reviews, it's like getting a little gift and opening the email is like opening the wrapping paper. Gifts from strangers and not necessarily something you would have asked for (usually much more wonderful than anything I would have dreamed of asking for) so they are always a delightful surprise and unique like the givers. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!  
  
In regard to my updating - I don't think I'll be writing much until Sept. or Oct. - I just don't have the time for it now but I did write Chap. 13 awhile ago so I figured I'd post it now. I intend to finish the story eventually but I would like it to be awhile till then since I am still enjoying the story. Whenever I write a chapter it's like I am driving a big bus and you are all the passengers and I am the only one who knows where we will be going. And I can only hope you will enjoy the ride. RMB you asked if I got my name from the beads and the bone in Jack Sparrows hair - YES! - I'm so glad somebody noticed that!!!!! And speaking of Jack I hope to soon post a strange, surrealistic, extremely mushy little thing I wrote last summer. I thought it was way too maudlin (don't say I didn't warn you) to publish at the time but now I figure I'll just see how much over the top sentimentality people will stand for.  
  
Alright, now ...EVERYBODY ...ON THE BUS!!!

13  
  
"I...I was getting us something to eat in the kitchen," Edward blinked down at her, "I thought maybe you'd be hungry."  
"Wow, yes, now that you mention it, I really am," she answered as relief at seeing him at last continued to fill her.  
  
"I made some soup,." he paused, "Would you like some?"  
  
"Oh, I would! Thanks!"  
  
Edward turned and Nora hurried to his side. She touched her hand to the back of his arm and followed as he made his way across the room and through a dark corridor.  
  
"I guess I won't be able to see anymore of your house - it's just too dark now."  
  
"Yes, the candles don't give off enough light," he answered, very aware of her hand on his arm.  
  
They entered the kitchen and Edward put the candle he was half balancing, half carrying, with his scissors, onto the kitchen table. He pulled a chair out from the table for Nora to sit in. She sat down but she felt tense and nervous, still shaken from the emotions she had felt as she sat on his bed and feeling a little ashamed for having invaded his private space.  
  
Edward lit another candle on a counter top near the stove. It was a gas stove and the flame was low under a large pot. The delicious smell of simmering soup reached Nora's nostrils and her stomach growled. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until now. She watched Edward carefully ladle soup into two bowls. They were more like two large mugs and she noticed that he was able to use utensils if they had the kind of handles that formed a round opening in which he could wedge a scissor or two and then guide it with the other hand. The candle holder had been like that - it had a round handle that a normal person would put a finger through in order to get a grip on it - but Edward used a scissor and then balanced it with the other hand. The ladle had a handle too, only larger. She had never seen one like it before and she concluded that it had been made especially for Edward - perhaps by whoever it was that had made him as well. That is if there was any truth to what she'd heard people say about him since his "death". Some people had said he wasn't human. That he was nothing but some crazy man's invention - that he didn't have a soul. Well, maybe someone had somehow created him, but that didn't make him any less human, she thought as she watched him. He was more human to her than anyone she had ever met.  
  
Edward painstakingly carried the bowls one by one to the table. Nora didn't offer to help, only watched him. She was feeling tired and had run out of things to say. Edward sat down at the table opposite her and watched her expectantly.  
  
"Would you happen to have a spoon somewhere?" she asked, looking toward the kitchen drawers.  
  
"I'm sorry," Edward stood up and shuffled quickly across to the drawers. He opened one and stirred the contents of it in search of a spoon. Finding one, he attempted to pick it up but it slipped out of his scissors. He tried a couple of times more before he was aware of Nora at his side.  
  
"I can get it," she said softly, placing a hand on his forearm and picking up one of the spoons. Feeling her so close beside him, a thought flashed through his mind about how it might feel to hold her the way he had held Kim once. He remembered how she had placed his arms around her as they stood near the window so long ago and he wanted to hold Nora that way. Instead he just looked down and turned away.  
  
"Ok," he said in a small voice and they both returned to their seats at the table. Nora began to eat as Edward looked on.  
  
"This is so good," Nora murmured, grateful for something in her stomach. But she knew that it wasn't just her hunger that made the soup taste good. It was exquisitely seasoned and perfectly simmered. Again Nora was amazed at Edward's talent. Apparently he was an excellent cook.  
  
"I have some bread too. Would you like some?"  
  
"Yes, but aren't you going to eat?" she asked looking up at him.  
  
"I'm not very hungry," he answered quietly. He watched her as she ate and seeing how much she seemed to enjoy it, he again felt something different growing inside him - the same feeling he had when she had admired his yard. Edward was feeling a sense of pride that he hadn't felt in a long time - not since people had lined up for him to style their hair and that seemed so very long ago.  
  
She smiled into his eyes and he smiled back as the candle flickered between them.

END OF CHAP. 13

It would be really helpful if you were as specific as possible about what parts you liked the most - as well as the parts you don't like. I'm still having a hard time with Nora - her personality is still only sketchy to me. I know this chapter was kind of dull - chapt. 14 should be better. Oh, and keep those angsty song suggestions coming. 


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Writing a chapter is like cooking a meal - it takes hours to prepare but just minutes to consume. Read slowly and savor. Hope you like it.

The Two

PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from "Edward Scissorhands" nor am I using them for material gain.  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Edward remembered the bread he had offered and returned to the counter top to slice a couple of pieces off a loaf. He brought them back to the table and sat down again. Nora ate them gratefully noting the freshness of the bread. It was French bread with a crisp crust yet the inside was tender. Did he make this himself as well? She didn't think so - it was definitely bakery bread, or at least the kind you could get in a grocery store bakery. She put the thoughts out of her mind for the moment as she finished eating and carried her dish to the sink. The kitchen was apparently where servants prepared meals once for the inhabitants of the once grand and beautiful mansion. That must have been many, many years ago because it had fallen into disrepair and dinginess. A small portion of the counter seemed used on a regular basis and the table where they had sat but that was about it.  
"How can he live in this place?!" Nora wondered to herself. It was so dark, so sad.  
"Can I wash these for you?" she asked as she glanced around for some dish soap.  
Edward stood, "I don't mind doing it later. It...it gives me something to do. I have a lot of time."  
Not wanting her to feel sorry for him, he quickly changed the subject, "Did you get to see the storm from upstairs?"  
"Well, not really. It came from the other side of the house so I didn't see it coming like I wanted to. Mainly I just got wet." she smiled.  
"Do you want to go back upstairs?"  
"Ok," she answered.  
Again Edward led the way holding the candle as Nora followed. They went through the hallway they had come through earlier and then across the entry area to the stairs. Nora spoke as they climbed the stairs, "Maybe we can see the storm in the distance."  
"Yes, I've seen them before from up here," Edward said, "but only when they're far off."  
"You're lucky to have such a beautiful view," she said but the words seemed foolish considering Edward's life was anything but lucky.  
"Sometimes I come up in the day too. I can see almost to the ocean." He was slowly beginning to feel more comfortable with her and found that with that comfort it was easier to talk. And since she really listened to what he had to say - as no one had since Peg - he found he wanted to talk even more.  
They walked to the window and looked out together. The sky had lightened a bit since the storm had moved on and, with the light of the waning moon, they could make out the forms of clouds in the distance and a mist that hung over the hills in the distance. Far off were tiny flashes of lightning. Nora leaned out the window to better feel the breeze which had softened. She closed her eyes and Edward looked at her. An unusual feeling of joy and longing welled up inside him. He gazed out into the distance as Nora turned back toward him.  
"Do you want to sit down?" he asked.  
"Ok."  
Nora brought one of the chairs even closer to the window and Edward moved his so that it was very close to hers. They sat quietly for a while. Now and then one of them shifted slightly in their chair in order to better feel the closeness of the other.  
After awhile Edward spoke, "Do you still work at the library?"  
"Yes," Nora was surprised at the question. He must have remembered seeing her there.  
"Do you think you could bring me some books?"  
"Sure, that's a good idea. What do you like to read?"  
"Well, I like stories about animals."  
"Ok, I can bring some of those. Is there anything else you like, maybe something on gardening? But you could probably write one yourself on that," Nora mused.  
"My father used to read poetry to me," Edward said, remembering.  
"I can bring you some poetry books too."  
"Thank you," Edward said turning toward her in the dark.  
"No problem," Nora answered, taken back a little by his seriousness.  
She wondered what kind of poetry he would like and decided she would just browse the shelves for something.  
The soft breeze brushed against them as they sat silently for a while. The mockingbird broke the silence as it began reciting it's repertoire of songs.  
"Do you know what kind of bird that is?" Nora asked.  
"Tell me."  
"It's a mockingbird."  
"How do you know them all Nora?"  
"From books."  
"There's a lot in books, isn't there?"  
"Yes, all kinds of things. I always thought that no matter what problem someone might have, somewhere, in some book there is the answer for it."  
"Do you think that's true?" he asked.  
"I think so but I guess I haven't found the right books...." her voice trailed off and a sadness washed over her. Edward seemed to sense her grief or maybe he had noticed a change in the tone of her voice. He turned toward her and looked into her eyes. There was just enough light for him to see them clearly. Deep within them there was a sadness and Edward was the only one to ever have seen it there. His brow creased a bit at what he had seen and if he had hands he would have touched her in empathy. Instead his scissors scraped softly against each other as he thought about what she had said.  
"Nora, are you sad?" he swallowed.  
"A little," she sighed.  
Edward felt a surge of indignation at the thought of her being sad. It just wasn't right, he felt, that someone like her should be sad.  
"Why...why are you sad?" he pressed, wanting to stop it somehow. He felt a strange feeling of power welling up within him as if he could instantly stop her pain if only he knew where to direct this sudden strength.  
Nora hesitated.  
"I guess it's because of my boyfriend... ex-boyfriend, I mean," she said looking down.  
How could he have forgotten about that, he thought, as the feeling of power drained away? He sat back in his chair and looked out into the night. Some of the lights of town were visible now since the clouds had passed and their familiarity comforted him but his heart ached anew and for the first time, even with her there, he felt lonely.  
Ex-boyfriends had been a problem for him before in his short experience with others and he didn't want to revisit the memories of Jim which her words brought to his mind. He remembered what she had said on an earlier night, about breaking up with her boyfriend and coming to the mansion because she thought it might be a place to be alone and think about it. She hadn't wanted to talk about it then and he had been satisfied with that but now he wanted to know more. He wanted to know and at the same time he was afraid to know. He didn't want her to be sad and, it was true, he didn't want her thinking about anyone else while she was sitting next to him. Anxiety was beginning to grow in him. He couldn't remember feeling this way before. He took a slow deep breath as he tried to put into words what he most wanted to know.  
  
Perhaps she shouldn't have mentioned him again, Nora thought, but thoughts of Bryan often seemed to come to her when she least wanted them to. If only she could talk to Edward about it. She felt he could help her somehow. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him everything but she knew she couldn't. Her chest began to ache. It would be sweet, she thought, to have someone hold her now. She felt Edward's warmth in the darkness and unconsciously moved a bit closer to him.  
Feeling her move against him, the words just poured out of his mouth before he could stop them.  
"Do you still love him?" he asked, his voice cracking.  
Nora nearly jumped as his words broke the silence.  
"No...no not anymore," she answered, but she didn't feel that was the truth. "I mean I guess I'll always love him in a way but....." She glanced at Edward. He must understand this, she thought to herself as she remembered Kim. "I mean, haven't you ever had that happen?" she asked, hoping her words would bring memories of Kim to his mind. "Where you break up with someone but it doesn't mean you can just forget everything. You still love them somehow. You can't just pretend it never happened even though it's over."  
Edward sat quietly as relief rushed through him. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Again he felt that same feeling of strength rising within him and this time it was mixed with a sympathy and tenderness which he could barely contain.  
"Yes...I understand," he said gently.  
Nora thought she would cry when she heard the compassion in his voice.  
More words slipped out of his mouth, "Nora?"  
Her own name had never sounded as beautiful to her as it did when he spoke it.  
"Yes?"  
"Do you like me?" It was as if his mouth was working apart from his brain and he couldn't stop it.  
"Yeah, Edward, I do," she whispered.  
She was finding it difficult to be so close to Edward and not touch him. Suddenly she slipped her arm under his and held it closely against her. She felt the muscle of his biceps beneath the leather of his clothes and wondered how his father had created him so completely human.  
Edward's breath caught in his chest at her touch and he closed his eyes. After a moment he touched her knee gently with a scissor, as best he could, in response - it was awkward being that she held the same arm against her.  
Neither of them spoke but each savored the touch of the other nearly forgetting the conversation that had gone on before. It had been so long since anyone had been that close to Edward that it almost brought tears to his eyes.  
Finally Nora could no longer contain herself and she leaned forward, at the same time turning and looking into his eyes. With her other hand she reached up and touched his hair. Edward turned toward her. He felt frightened for a moment but he didn't know why. He wanted to feel her touch but yet it was so strange.  
Nora entwined her fingers deeply into his hair, finding his scalp and pressing her fingers until she felt the shape of his head. Then she placed one hand on either side of his head and smoothed his hair a bit.  
They continued to look at each other as she ran her hands down the sides of his head, her thumbs lightly tracing around and over the scars on his face. She leaned closer to him and her hands continued down until her fingers touched and entwined behind his neck. He had one scissor hand at either side of her now and her chair scraped on the floor as he pushed it around so their chairs as well as their bodies faced each other but still he didn't touch her. His hands rested somewhere at the side of her chair, his heart pounding in his chest.  
Nora, having lost track of time and space, savored the feel of his thick, black hair and leaning even farther forward, she pressed the side of her face against his, feeling his scars against her own skin. Her lips touched his hair. She lowered her head until her forehead rested on his shoulder. Drawing him closer, she put her arms around him protectively.  
"I can't hold her," Edward thought to himself as he remembered Kim. But it didn't seem to matter as he felt her arms around him. He turned his head and her soft hair fell against his face. Overwhelmed by the smell and the feel of her hair against his skin, it almost didn't matter that he didn't have hands. It was unlike anything that he had felt before and even his memories of Kim couldn't compare to it. He was beginning to feel lightheaded and all he could think of was a place his father had once told him about. A place of beauty and peace that his father had some difficulty in describing to him. He'd called it Heaven and for a moment Edward thought he must have been transported there somehow. He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell.  
"No," he thought, the best that he could at the moment, this wasn't Heaven because his father had said that was where you went when you died and Edward knew he was very much alive. In fact he couldn't recall ever having felt quite as alive as he did now. "But this is like heaven," he thought.  
Nora lifted her head from his shoulder and loosed her arms from around him. Looking into his eyes she let her hands slide to his shoulders and her fingers rested there. She smiled and laughed a small awkward laugh. She looked down, embarrassed, and her hands slid down to his wrists.  
Edward stared at her. He didn't quite know what to do or if he should say something. He swallowed and sat back in his chair, hoping that he could catch his breath.  
Nora stood up and pushing her chair back, walked over to the window. She looked out into the night hardly seeing the lights below. She felt her eyes fill with tears. What had she done! She knew that if she continued looking out he wouldn't be able to see her tears and she hoped the breeze would keep them from overflowing as it had once before.  
Edward watching her from his chair knew something was wrong and his heart went out to her.  
"Nora? Are you alright?"  
"Yes, sure," she answered.  
He wanted to comfort her but since he didn't quite know what was wrong he began to worry. He hoped he hadn't done something to ruin things between them. He didn't want her to leave. He'd only just begun to get to know her. He didn't want to be left alone again.  
Edward knew he had to do something so he stood up and walked over to her.  
"Are...are you sure?" he touched a scissor gently to her back.  
"Yes. Yes, I'm sure," she answered, and she closed her eyes at his touch.  
She turned to face him but found it hard to look him in the eyes.  
"I think I'll just sit down again for a while and look at the view." She walked back to her chair and repositioned it to face the window. She made sure there was some space between the two chairs this time. She decided to act as if nothing had happened. She wasn't sure if Edward understood the kinds of feelings she was having.  
He sat next to her but his scissors made more noise than they had earlier as they sat in the dark and he could still feel the thumping of his heart in his chest.  
Nora stared out at the night but she didn't really see anything. Her thoughts were completely consumed by the memory of his hair in her fingers and the coolness of his face against hers. She glanced over at him and saw him staring intently into the night as well..  
After a time Edward's heart quieted but he didn't say anything or move. He was remembering her arms around him and her hair against his face. He wanted to freeze the memory somewhere in his mind, make it a part of him somehow. He never wanted it to slip away. And he didn't want her to leave. Like the birds in his yard, he was afraid if he moved he would frighten her away.  
After a while Nora thought it would be best if she left.  
"Edward, I'm going to go now."  
He turned toward her.  
"Will you come again?" his eyes searched her face.  
Relief washed over her at his words.  
"Yes."  
"When?" He didn't think he could live if it wasn't very soon.  
"Tomorrow, if you want."  
"Yes, Nora, please come back tomorrow." He had a hard time getting the words out.  
"Goodnight, Edward," she said as she rose. Turning to leave, she touched two fingers to his leathered shoulder then walked away and down the stairs.  
"Goodnight, Nora," he called softly after her.

Author's Note:

Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't be updating till Sept. I just couldn't help myself. Please review. Say something -anything - don't just sit there like Edward. :) Any suggestions for what should happen next? And thanks.


	15. Chapter 15

1

Chapter 15

Nora drove slowly home her mind still reeling from what had happened at the mansion between her and Edward. She was relieved that he had asked her back - at least he hadn't been completely put off by her forward behavior. She didn't know what had come over her. It wasn't like her to act that way. It was just that his incredible gentleness and the understanding in his voice had been too much for her still tender emotions. At some level she was still grieving over Bryan and she longed for someone to comfort her. Still she couldn't use Edward that way. There was no way she would do that. He must have had enough heartache of his own over Kim. She shook her head slowly at the thought. The words to a song drifted through her head - "what becomes of the broken-hearted?..." Broken-hearted. That's what she was. That's probably what Edward was too. God, she wished she could help him too.

But she was filled with other feelings too. She was feeling a very strong attraction to Edward fueled by his compassion and quiet, gentle ways as well as her own empathy toward him. She wondered if this attraction was because of her own vulnerability as well his sad situation and nothing more... or if there was something else.

She arrived home and let herself into her apartment. It was dark and quiet. Throwing her keys on the table she made her way to her bedroom without turning on any lights. When she finally lay down in her bed she found she was still wide awake. As she lay in the dark, filled with loneliness and longing, she remembered being held by Bryan. She remembered the warmth of his body when they were together and how often she had heard the beating of his heart when she lay her head against his chest. Quietly tossing back the sheet that covered her, she sat up on the edge of her bed. From there she could reach the bottom drawer of her dresser and slowly she pulled it open. The darkness was like a protecting presence as she reached inside the drawer and felt to the bottom of the stack of clothes that were folded inside. She took out one of her shirts that she kept there. Pressing it to her face she breathed in the smell. The musky, distinct smell of Bryan still lingered on the shirt, captured there when the heat of their bodies melded together. A few tears wet the shirt and a small sob escaped her. Why couldn't he have loved her the way she had loved him, she agonized for the thousandth time? She closed her eyes for a moment and then put the shirt away. Despite all that had gone on between them she missed him none the less. She missed his body if nothing else.

Laying back down in bed she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to press her lips against Edwards. What would he do, how would he respond? It didn't mean she would do such a thing but it was ok to think about it when she was all alone at night. No one would ever know about such a thought because no one could. A thought like that was completely her own, she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

After Nora left, Edward looked out into the night from the broken window, the soft breeze ruffled his hair and it instantly brought to mind the feel of her fingers in his hair just minutes before. He listened for the last traces of the sound of her car driving off, but the song of the mockingbird drowned out the distant noise. Turning back inside he made his way to his bed and slowly lowered himself into the familiar comfort of it. He lay for awhile trying to sleep but he began to feel ragingly hot - the uncomfortable warmth seeming to originate from somewhere deep inside his body. He clawed at the neck of his clothing in an attempt to cool himself, nicking his throat and the skin under his chin. He felt the familiar wetness as drops of blood spilled over onto his skin.

Turning onto his side, he fell into a restless sleep and dreamed of a bird alighting next to him as he looked out the window waiting for Nora. He turned toward the bird and saw that it had Nora's eyes. Without thinking he reached out to it and it fluttered into the darkness of the mansion.. Earnestly but gently he followed it. He just wanted to help it find it's way out but the closer he seemed to come to it the more he heard it crashing about. He felt his chest tightening with anxiety and, tossing about in his bed, the dream receded as he began to wake up.Somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, his eyes still closed, he suddenly became aware of the scent of Nora. His eyes flew open as he realized she must have been there in his bed earlier in the day! But when - when had she been there? Lying on his back, his mind still hazy with sleep, he stared up into the darkness. When she was up here looking at the storm! Suddenly he was afraid of what she'd seen and what she must think but riding right on the heels of the fear was a strange unexplainable, exhilaration. She had seen what was the most private part of him. The most intimate part of his existence. So many of his hopes, dreams, and the longings of his very soul lay scattered about in those clippings and pictures. And she had been there and seen them. He remembered how shaken she had been at the bottom of the stairs. Had it been from the storm or from what she had seen here? That there might be someone who had glimpsed this private part of him and somehow understood! He felt his eyes filling with tears. A thousand times before he had instinctively reached with his scissors toward his eyes as if he could wipe the tears away even though at the same time he knew that he would hurt himself as he had always done - the proof of this in the array of tiny scars scattered across his face. But this time he stopped before his scissors touched his skin. His eyes slowly focused on them as they stopped midway to his face and he studied them, as if for the first time, in the dim moonlight. He felt the tears make a path from the corner of his eyes down the sides of his face until they reached his ears. He thought again of Nora and tried to imagine what she had felt when she had been there. Maybe she had sensed the hope and the pain that he so often felt as he lay here at night. Whatever she had felt, a part of him was hers now. He closed his eyes, breathing in her smell. He was feeling drunkenly tired now but a strange elation mixed with his anxiety as he fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

Author's Note: Hi, it's been awhile. I hope I still have your attention. Most of all I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think.


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